Electric stopping mechanism for looms



(No Model.) M 3 SheetsSheet 1.

J. RUSH & E. OLDPIELD.

ELECTRIC STOPPING MECHANISM FOR L'OOMS. No. 884,934. Patented June 19, 1888.

N. PETERS, HwlmLifllographar. Wnhinglpn, DJ;

(No Model.) s sheets-sheet 2.

J. RUSH & E. OLDPIELD.

ELECTRIC STOPPING MEQHANISM FOR LOOMS. No. 384,934. Patented June 19, 1888.

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(No M0881. 3 Sheet8Sheet 3.

J. RUSH & E. OLDPIELD.

ELEGTRIG STOPPING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS. No. 384,934. 8 Patented June 19, 1888.

UNITED STATES PATENT @FFICE.

JOHN RUSH AND EDWIN OLDFIELD, OF NORWICH, CONNECTICUT.

ELECTRIC STOPPING MECHANISM FOR LOO MS.

SPECEFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 384,934, dated June 19, 1888. Application filed December 1, 1887. 7 Serial 110,256,629. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that we, JOHN RUsH, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, and EDWIN OLD- FIELD, a citizen of the United'States, both residents of Norwich, in the county of New London and State of Connecticut, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Stopping Mechanism for Looms, which improvements are fully set forth and described in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying three sheets of drawings.

Our improvements are applicable to the va rious classes of looms in which a shuttle is employed to carry the weft or filling; but they are especially valuable when applied to that class of looms in which a multiple of shuttles is used, as in weaving ribbons, webbing, or other narrow fabrics.

The object of our invention is to provide mechanism which will act automatically to stop the loom when the filling-thread in any one of the multiple of shuttles breaks or runs nearly out, or when one or more of the warpthreads break. In running such looms (those having a multiple of shuttles) the operator is taxed to his utmost capacity in keeping the several shuttles supplied with filling and in watching both the warp and the finished fabric. In spite of the most careful attention the bobbin in one or more shuttles will occasionally run out unnoticed, or a warp-thread break, and as a result theentireloom must be stopped until the operator can pick back the spoiled fabricand start in the new filling, or piece up the broken warp, as the case may be. This is not only annoying, but causes a loss of time, which is very expensive.

Our invention for overcoming this difficulty consists, briefly, of a latch operated by an elec tro-magnet to ship the driving-belt and stop the 100111 when the filling breaks or is nearly exhausted in any one of the shuttles, or when a warp-thread breaks, the electrical circuit being completed through the shuttle in each case.

To illustrate our improvements we have annexed hereto several d rawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of such portions of a narrow-fabric loom as are necessary to explain our devices, and Fig. 2 is a front side elevation of a similar loom with the upper rail andtakeup mechanism removed. Fig. 3 is aplan, somewhat enlarged, of the magnet and levers which operate together to move the beltshipper to stop the loom. Fig.4 shows a broken plan and amend view of a shuttle for ribbonweaving, with a metallic bobbin arranged in a simple manner for making the electrical con-,

nection when the filling runs out; and Fig.5

shows plan and rear side views of a similar shuttle in which a wire-covered wooden bobbin is used. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detached view of spring L, showing the manner of insulating a portion thereof. In Fig. 6 we have shown a wooden bobbin with a jacket of sheet metal, and in Fig. 7 a cross section of the same on line X X of Fig. 6. Fig. Sis a broken top view of a portion of the lathe or batten, showing shuttles in operative position therein;

and Fig. 9 is a broken rear view of said batten,

illustrating the manner of making the electrical connections with the said shuttles. Fig. 10 is a rear view of a shuttle having attached thereto our device for operating with abroken warp-thread to stop'the loom; and Fig. 11 shows the relative positions of the shuttle, reed,

warp, and take-up. The last-named figure shows also the action of a broken warp-thread,

as fully explained hereinafter.

Referring to the drawings, the letters a a indicate the end frames of a narrow-fabric loom, connected in the usual manner by girders b b. Said end frames project well upward,

and have hinged to their upper ends swords c 0, whose lower ends are secured to the socalled lathe or batten (I, said batten being swung forward and backward in practice by connecting-rods e and cranks e, carried by the main shaft f.

Our improvements are here shown as apis delivered under a suitable tension attained by one ormore spring brakes, 2'. One end of each of said brakes is formed with a springcoil to give a proper degree of elasticity, and is secured in the main body of the shuttle. The opposite ends of said brakes bear on the filling and gradually work t-owardthe bobbin as the filling is used out.

The shuttle shown in Fig. 4 is intended for use with a bobbin made entirely of metal, while that in Fig. 5 may be used with a wooden bobbin having only a jacket of metal. On the rear side or edge of the shuttle are metal plates 7c k, preferably let in flush and secured to the shuttle-body by screws in. of shuttle illustrated in Fig. 4 one of said screws is long enough to engage the brakewire it and the other reaches the axialwire h.

So long as the metal bobbin is completely covered by the filling-th read the brake is kept from contact with said bobbin; but when said filling is nearly run off (as-in Fig. 4) a metallic circuit is completed from one screw, m,

through the axial wire, bobbin, and brake to the opposite screw. \Vhen it is desired to use a wooden bobbin, said circuit may be made as follows: Two springbrakes are employed,- each in contact with a screw, m, and the wooden bobbin is either wound spirally with fine wire, it, or isjacketed with sheet metal, as at 0 in Figs. 6 and 7. \Vhen so provided, a complete circuitis effected (as the filling runs nearly out) by the two brakes resting on the metal jacket of the bobbin. The batten d has attached to one end an electro-magnet, G.

:D indicates a battery located in a convenient position, having running to the said electro-inagnet a nd batten wires as is best illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. Said wires extend along the rear side of the batten, (see Fig. 9,) and at stated distances, corresponding to the positions of the shuttles when the loom is stopped, connections are made with metallic spring-arms E E, secured to the rear side of the batten. These spring-arms are provided at their free ends with studs 8, which reach through the batten into the path of the sh uttles. To illustrate this construction more clearly, we have cut away a portionof the batten in Fig. 8, to which reference is made. As the shuttles travel back and forth in the raceway, the metal plates 7c brush lightly past the studs 8 at each movement. When the filling-thread is nearly run off, so that the brakes i are brought into contact with the bobbin, and when the shuttle comes into a position where its screws in register with and touch studs 8, a complete metallic circuit is established, and the magnet 0 immediately acts to draw down the armature thereof. Said armature is secured to a lever, G, pivoted in a bracket, if, fastened to the batten. The armature is held normally out of engagement with the magnet by a spring, u, secured to the floor or to the loom-frame and connected with the rear end of said lever G. The opposite end of said arm ature-lever is formed as a hook, which, as the bat-ten swings back and forth,

In the form shaped substantially as an arc of a circle.

moves through an opening in onearin ofa bellcrank lever, H, hinged to the end frame, a, of the loom. The other arm of said bell-crank lever is pivoted to a belt-shipper rod, K, supported in suitable bearings and extending along the front of the loom within easy reach of the operator, as commonly provided. The opposite end of rod Kis connected with a beltshipping fork, c, in such manner that the sliding movement of said rod K will cause the belt to be transferred from the tight to the loose pulley. So long as the hook-shaped end of the armature-lever G is under the control of spring a the said hook cannot engage the bellcrank lever to move it; but whenthe electrical circuit is completed (by the run niug off of the filling, as described above) magnet C instantly draws lever G downward, and the hook engages and'rocks the bell-crank lever, which in turn actuates theshippcnrod and beltshipper, and the loom stops.

It-should be understood that the stopping of the loom occurs before the filling is entirely run off, leaving the finished woven fabric perfeet and allowingthe operator to start in the new filling without having to pick back or oth-- erwise disturb said finished fabric.

Having described our stop-motion as controlled by the running off of the filling-thread, we will proceed to describe the action of the same when controlled by the breaking of the warp threads. The shuttles used are constructed as above described, except that they have added thereto on the rear side a wire, 10, One end of said wire islooped loosely around one of the screws m, and the bow or central portion extends upward above the shuttle. (See Fig. 10.) The opposite or free end ofsaid wire is formed with a spring-coil, z, and with two bends, 2, one above the other in such positions that either may engage a stud, z", fixed in the shuttle. WVire w is shown in Fig. 10 as elevated and the circuit broken. When drawn downward by a broken and tangled warpthread, as we have described below, said wire is depressed until its spring-coil z is brought into contact with the. second screw m, and is retained in such contact by the upper bend, This closing of the electrical circuit causes the electro-magnct and the belt-shipping devices to act, precisely as before explained, to stop the loom.

The action of a broken warpthrcad is more clearly seen by referring to Fig. 11, in which one of said threads is shown as broken and intertwined with the adjacent threads. This tangling of the threads becomes more complicated as the harness works up and down, until the tension on the broken thread is suffieient to force downward wire to as the sh uttl e shoots under it, and thus closes and completes the electrical circuit.

The foregoing describes the manner of completing the electrical circuit when a warpthread breaks. To attain the same result when the filling-thread breaks, (as frequently 0c curs,) we have made the following-slight Referring to Fig. 5,

changes in the shuttle. L L indicate delicate spiral springs, as commonly provided, to take up the slack of the filling-thread. WVhen the shuttle is not threaded, these springs draw back into their respect;

tact with said metallic connection andthe electrical circuit is completed. The metallic connection between the two spring-recesses is provided by inserting metal bushings Z in the entrance of each recess and by connecting said bushings by a wire orstrip of sheet metal, 1

passing from one to the other. A portion of spring L is insulated, by webbing, L", or other non-conductor, so that when its ring Z is drawn outward, as in the act of threading the shuttle, the circuit is broken and is kept so so long as the filling remains intact; but the instant said thread breaks and relieves the springs they snap back into the recesses, allowing the current of electricity to reach the electro magnet and thus stop the loom.

Fig. 5 shows the common method of threading ashuttle of this class, the thread beingindicated by dotted lines. Said thread is first passed through an idle-ring of glass hung loosely on a cord attached to the bow of the shuttle, thence passes through one ofthe rings l, thence through the. companion ring, and tinally outward through the sh'uttle bowh The devices which we have added to accom plish the desired results are not expensive when compared with the saving of time and material effected, and theymay be readily applied to looms of ordinary construction.

We claim as our invention 1.. In combination with the belt-shipper, shipperrod', and batten of a loom, devices for:

actuating said shipper to effect the stopping. ot'.thc loom, consisting of an electro-magneti wire-connectionsfirst above described, as and for theobject specified. V,

2. Incombination with the beltshipper,

shipper-rod, and batten of a loom, an electromagnet moving with the batten, an armature for said magnet formed as a latch or hook, a bellerank lever, one of whose arms-is connected to said shipper-rod and the other arm is in the path of said armature, as set forth, a

battery, wire-connections leading from said magnet and battery into the pathof the shut tle, and a shuttle provided with the bowshaped wire 10, plates 7c, screws m. m, and

piaz said wire .20 being formed with retaining-bends a, all substantially as and for the purpose specified.

The combination, with as belt-shipper. 7s g and batten of aloom, of the slidable rod K, a

bell-crank lever, one ofwhose arms is pivoted: to said rod, .a reciprocating electro-rnagnet whose armatnre is provided with a hook adapted to engage and operate said bell-crank f lever when an electrical c nrrent islpassed through said magnet, and devices, asherein rent, for the'purpose specified. h

4.111 combination with th batten and beltshipper'of a m, an electro magnet, a battery, wires leading from said magnet and bat{ tery into the path of the shuttle, mechanism H connected therewith for moving thebeltshipy per, as herein set forth, and a shuttlehavin'gj combined therein 'a metal jacketed bobbin,

spring-brakes 1', screws m, and plates 70 k, ,all snbstantiall y asand for the purpose specified.

described, for controlling said electrical cur- 5. In combination with the batten and belt-.

shipper of a loom, an; eleotro-magnet ands. battery, wires leading therefrom into thepath of the shuttle,-mechanism for moving the beltshipper,and ashuttle having combined therein plates'k k, screws m, wires to, andstnd a all being substantially as and for th.e.pu'rpose specified. l

6. In combination with the batten and belt- IOO shipper of a loom, an electro-magnetandbattery, wires leading therefrom into the path of the shuttle, mechanism connected therewith for moving the belt-shipper, and a shuttle hav.-

ing combined therein platesk7c',wiresg,springs L L, with rings Z l, bushings l, and connectin g-wires 1*,a1l being substantially as described,

and for the object setforth.

JOHN RUSH.

EDWIN OLDFIELD.

W'itnesses:

JOSEPH WILLIAMsON, FRANK H. ALLEN. 

